John Perin wrote: Correct Date of Birth: August 11, 1924. He was a member of the 1949 Ohio State Football Team, but I found no record of him being an All-American. That was the team that played in the 1950 Rose Bowl, defeating California, 17-14 (Bill Miller, "Dr. Big Bill Miller", was also a member of that team). It is the first bowl game Ohio State ever played in. I found no record of Shag Thomas (James S. Thomas) playing for the Green Bay Packers or any other NFL team. My informtion is based on the Ohio State Football Media Guide (which also lists Buckeys players who went into the NFL) and a website that lists all NFL players going back to the beginning of the league. I also checked the Green Bay Packers' records. The date of birth I got for him came from Social Security death records.
Dale Pierce wrote in with these notes: In the 1950s and early 1960s many states aside from the deep south did not allow black and white wrestlers to face each other. Luther, like Bearcat Wright, headed for the Arizona-California territory and found great popularity there pitted against white and hispanic wrestlers. Prior to his western stint when he was active in the south, in an interview , he expressed some sarcasm about the wrestling world and seperationist rules when asked about his schedule and opponents. He responded, "Let 's see, tomorrow I face Shag Thomas, Friday I face Shag Thomas, Saturday I face Shag Thomas......"